Household of Six
by PaazPeytProductions
Summary: Al-Revis University: a prestigious college that offers everything Ulrika Mulberry could ever hope to learn. Unfortunately for her, entrance fees have skyrocketed as of late, and she is broke, homeless, and out of a job. Her only hope is an ad in the paper, and life for Ulrika has gotten a hundred times weirder. Mana Khemia 2. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1: Jobs for the Jobless

**[A/N: Ah, my first story on here! I love Mana Khemia with all my heart, so I needed to write this. Just a quick note here. This takes place in a Modern AU, and while alchemy, magic, and manas still exist, they are not nearly as prevalent as in the canon universe. I hope anyone who stumbles upon this enjoys it! Thank you!]**

* * *

"I'm tellin' you, Chloe, it's goin' to be great!"

The sun was beating down upon the calm park, its warm rays caressing the twenty-year-old girl on the bench. She absentmindedly twirled her blonde hair around her fingers, balancing the cellphone carefully on her shoulder.

"Yeah, no thanks." A pout surfaced on the blonde's face as the deadpan voice rang from the other end. "Ulrika, I'm not letting you drag me into another half-assed plan of yours. Besides, I don't really wanna go to Al-Revis University, I hear they've got a bunch of weirdoes over there…"

"C'mon, it's one of the best colleges out there! I'm sure there's some Wiccan cult you can join while we're there—"

"What are the entrance fees like?"

"H-huh?" Ulrika's coercion was stopped in its tracks. Leave it to Chloe to ask the armor-piercing questions.

"I'm sure I could afford them, but aren't you out of a job _and_ broke? And you can't exactly ask your parents for money since they kicked you out…"

"A-all right, I get it!" Ulrika snapped, her face steaming scarlet. "I'll find a job, and work up enough money for the entrance fees!" Mumbling, she added under her breath, "However much they are."

"What was that?" Ulrika cursed, having hoped that Chloe had not heard her. "You don't even know how much the fees are? You really are dumb."

"Hey, shut up! I don't need to hear that from you!" A moment's pause followed, before she hesitantly asked, "So, um, where d'you think I should look for a job?"

A heavy sigh could be heard over the line, followed by, "Check the ads in the paper. There's always someone offering someone something for something." The vagueness of the statement did not deter Ulrika as she perked up instantly, grinning widely.

"Perfect! I'll check as soon as I get my hands on a newspaper! Thanks a bunch, Chloe!" Ignoring the listless 'Whatever' that was returned, the newly energized young woman hung up, bounding forth from the bench in search of a newspaper.

* * *

"Hmm… _Hmm_…" The teenaged newspaper vendor glanced over at the humming girl in mild annoyance. She had raced up to him, out of breath, and bought a copy of the paper with a glimmer in her forest green eyes. However, instead of walking away like most customers would, she plopped down on a nearby bench and rapidly flipped to the advertisements.

At first he ignored her and went about his business, trying to sell the paper to passerby in the bustling city streets, but eventually he became so fed up listening to her hum to herself, he rounded about on her. "Look, lady, can't you do that somewhere else? I got a business to attend to, and you're kinda loud." An expression of shock passed over her face, almost as if she were about to cry, and the vendor gulped; he just wanted a part-time job so he could buy parts for his machine. This wasn't in the job description.

Of course, when the surprise wore off, she did the exact opposite of cry.

The boy nearly fell back in his booth as the blonde was instantly up in his face. "How rude! I wasn't sayin' nothin', I even bought a paper from you, and then you try to shoo me off? Haven't you ever heard of respecting your elders?"

Against his better judgment, he scrunched his nose up and huffed sarcastically, "Elders? How old are you anyway, Granny?"

"Oh, that is it! Now you help me find a job right now, or I am so callin' and complainin' to your manager!" This statement stunned the teenager into silence.

"What? What the hell are you even going on about, lady?" He crossed his arms and scowled. "You're weird."

"Shut up, kid. And my name isn't 'lady', it's Ulrika." Astonishingly enough, a smile crossed her face. "What's yours?"

The vendor blinked, once again thrown off by this strange woman. Who did she think she was? He knew enough about the unpredictability of girls from his sister, but this chick… "Enna. My name is Enna."

"Enna, huh?" She snorted playfully. "That's pretty cute."

"Sh-shut up! Why do you need _my_ help to find a job?" His attempts to bring the conversation away from his name and back to the original problem seemed to hit the mark, because a look of realization struck Ulrika's eyes.

"Oh, right!" Smiling, she laid down the paper in front of him. "Well, you're a paper-boy, so I figured you must know somethin' about gettin' a job. Do any of these ads look promisin'?" She pointed to the section, where several offers and phone numbers were listed. Enna rolled his eyes and complied, looking them over. Something seemed to catch his eye, because a small gasp escaped his lips and he cried, "Oh, that's—!"

"What? _What_? Is there somethin' good?" Ulrika struggled to read what he was looking at upside-down.

"Y-yeah, right there." He switched the paper around so she could read it normally. "All the information you need to apply should be right there. No one else has applied so far, so—"

"Huh? How would you know that?" Enna's face went several shades of red, and he hastily pushed the confused Ulrika away.

"No reason, forget about it, glad I could help, see you later!" With a loud clatter, the shades of the booth came down, blocking her view of the blue-haired teenager. She glanced back down at the advertisement.

"Hmm… What a weird kid… Oh well, looks like Ulrika's got herself a job!" She giggled in triumph, and turned on her heel. As she strode away from the booth, she didn't notice the red-faced Enna peeking out after her.

"Ugh… This is gonna be so awkward…"

* * *

"Chloe! I got myself a job!"

The brunette blinked in surprise. When she picked up the phone, that statement certainly wasn't the first thing she was expecting to hear. "…Seriously? That was fast." Her eyes widened after a thought struck her. "You're not a stripper, are you? I don't think I want to deal with that sort of behavior in my friend—"

"I'm not a stripper, dammit! I am disappointed in you for thinkin' such a thing."

Chloe sighed, whether in relief or disappointment, one couldn't be sure. "All right, then what is this job of yours!"

"Cleanin' and cookin' for some house outside the city, near the country."

"So… you're a maid." Chloe flipped through the book she was rereading, not really paying attention to the words on the pages.

"I am _not_! I am a 'keeper of the house'!" The indignation strained in Ulrika's voice was just too funny for Chloe.

"…There's no difference."

"There is! They're lettin' me stay there too, so I am officially not homeless anymore!" Her laugh which followed was entirely way too carefree for someone in her situation.

"'They're'? Who are 'they'? Whose maid are you, exactly?" Chloe's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh, uh, five guys that share the house, I guess. Apparently, they need help keepin' the house clean."

A pause. "Ulrika, you're so filthy."

"Huh-_wha_—?"

"Living with five strange men? As a '_maid_'?" A dramatic sigh followed. "I guess I've been friends with a hopeless pervert all these years."

"H-hey! It's not like that, Chloe!" She could tell Ulrika was blushing heavily. "I promise, nothin' dirty is gonna happen! I'm just gonna clean, cook, get paid, and leave!"

"Sure, sure. You won't be able to look me in the eyes once they all have their way with you, will you?"

"All right, that's enough! Talk to you later!" Chloe pulled the phone away from her ear at Ulrika's screeching. Hearing a '_click_', she knew Ulrika had hung up again. Shaking her head, she silently wondered if her friend was going to be all right.


	2. Chapter 2: Homes for the Homeless

The summer heat rose up against the pavement as Ulrika happily strode down the sidewalk, humming all the way.

'_Oh, man. First day of work! First day of not being homeless!_' Her thoughts were laced with excitement, and once again she quickly ducked her head to check that everything she needed was in her bag. Honestly, everything she _owned _was in that bag, but she didn't let that fact get her down. Soon, she would be rolling in money! At least she hoped. Fixing the bright red beanie on her golden head for perhaps the thousandth time, she continued on to her destiny.

The bus stop was only a five minute walk away, so she allowed herself a short stop at the newspaper stand that had put her good fortune into motion. However, the teenager that had reluctantly helped her was nowhere in sight, instead replaced by another bored-looking boy.

"Hiya," Ulrika greeted sunnily, stepping up to the booth. The teenager shot her an appraising glance. "Where's Enna?"

The boy frowned. "How come all these hot, older chicks come for _Enna_?" he grumbled under his breath, turning from her.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Ulrika could feel her temper quickly flaring. "I asked you a question!"

The ill-mannered kid scoffed, "It's his day off. He's not here."

"There, was that so hard?" Huffing when the only answer she received was an eye-roll, she stuck out her tongue and continued on to the bus stop, ignoring the shouts of indignation from the boy. "Whoever owns that newspaper stand needs to find vendors with better attitudes…"

* * *

_Ulrika sat on the bench underneath the arching lamppost. Night was starting to settle in and a chill was present in the air, but she ignored it. Her phone, which was an oddly-heartfelt gift from Chloe, was in her hand as she squinted to read the ad in the dim orange light. With great conviction, she punched the last couple of digits of the listed phone number into the phone._

_And let it ring._

_With bated breath she waited, and after a few moments the call was picked up._

_"Hello? Are you the one calling about the ad?"_

_Ulrika was a bit surprised at this, naturally. "Y-yes! I am! How did you know?"_

_"I'm well-informed. So, down to business. Do you have experience house-keeping?"_

_"Yeah! I used to clean and cook all the time in my old house!" She added in a quiet mumble, "When I had a house."_

_"What was that last bit?"_

_"N-nothin'! Don't worry 'bout it! So am I in?" A hopeful smile spread her face as she waited for the response._

_"Uh… sure. Don't you have any, y'know, questions about the job? Any times when you can't work?" The voice seemed shocked by her eagerness._

_"Oh, I can work all the time! Questions? No, not really… Oh, well, I guess I should know who I'm working for, right?" She shrugged to herself, as she would take whatever work she could._

_"Right, that would make sense. My name's Razeluxe Meitzen, and I share the house with four of my friends. I used to clean, but I've been busy with other work as of late, and no one else in the house likes to do any chores. I'll introduce you to them when you start work. Uh, so when did you say you can work?"_

_"As soon as possible! Tomorrow, even! Um, but I hope you don't mind, if maybe I, uh, stay at the house? I'm, uh, kinda out of a place to live for the time being." Crossing her fingers, she silently prayed he would agree._

_"…All right, that can be allowed. I guess I'll see you then, Ulrika."_

_"Yup! Bye-bye, now!" With a satisfied sigh, she ended the call with a grin. Pulling her coat tighter around her frame, she laid down on the bench and whispered to herself, "I got a home now." With that, she began slowly drifting off to sleep._

_The fact that he knew her name without her telling him never once crossed her mind._

* * *

Ulrika stared out the window of the bus in childish wonderment. She couldn't help but marvel at the change from concrete jungle to open fields. She always was a country girl at heart. Up the road, she could make out a dusty bus stop, little more than a roofed bench with a map on the side. As the bus slowed, she stood and moved to exit. Only one other passenger got off alongside her, but she paid him little mind.

Once the bus had begun trundling away, Ulrika took a moment to gain her bearings. "Hmm… That house has to be somewhere around here…"

"Pardon me, Miss, but are you lost?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm lookin' for— _what in tarnation_?!" She turned to the person, most likely the other passenger, to answer, but faltered at the sight of him. What looked like a white beaver with amber eyes was staring up at her, a crimson ball clutched in its paws.

The creature chuckled, a deep, sultry sound that did not match its appearance, and drawled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you so. I just can't bring myself to let a lovely lady such as yourself wander around lost." With another laugh, he added, "A lovely lady such as yourself also shouldn't gape like that."

Quickly clamping her mouth shut, she struggled to find words. "Er, um, I'm tryin' to find a house near here. Guy named Razeluxe Meitzen lives there?"

The beaver-thing hummed at this information. "Is that right? I assume you're the one he hired, then?"

Ulrika's eyes went wide. "Are you one of his roommates?"

"That's right, my name is Goto, wandering love hunter and heart thief extraordinaire. Pleased to meet you, Miss—?"

"Ulrika, Ulrika Mulberry," she answered quickly, a tad thrown off by his strange introduction but overall relieved to find someone who could guide her to the house. "Man, I'm glad I found someone to take me there. Thanks a lot, Goto."

"Think nothing of it, my beautiful Mulberry. Goto is here to take care of all your needs." A smooth smile was sent her way, which in turn sent chills down her spine.

'_Aw hell, is this what Chloe was goin' on about_?!' she fearfully thought, inching away from the… man… slowly.

"Right this way, my dear."

Already feeling doubt creep into her mind, Ulrika hesitantly began following Goto down the lane.

* * *

"Hey, Raze! I found your housekeeper wandering— huh? Raze, are you here?" The white beaver waddled into the large, empty hall, Ulrika lagging behind him, taking the place in with awe. Out in the country, surrounded by nothing but fields, was this marvelous house, only slightly smaller than the mansion Chloe's family owned. Inside was no less breathtaking than the outside, with a grand staircase at the end of the hall leading to the upstairs.

"I guess he's out for now. Oh well, I suppose that can't be helped. Young lady, could you help me with something?" Getting her attention, he turned his back to her. "Could you unzip my suit please? It's difficult for me to reach."

"Your… suit?" Ulrika stared, bemused, only then noticing the silver zipper on Goto's back.

"Yes, I prefer traveling in this animal suit, but I generally don't wear it at home. What, you didn't think I normally look like this, did you?" Her face flushed at the note of amusement in his voice.

"N-no, of course not! I'm not _that_ stupid!" In her state of annoyance, she bent to roughly yank the zipper down.

"Ooh, careful, young lady," he laughed smoothly. "Aggressive, aren't we?"

"Ugh, shut—" Her jaw dropped. "—up?"

Out of the back of the suit, Goto rose, stretching slightly as he stepped out. This… this she was not expecting. He was tall, far taller than she was, with long dark hair that cascaded down his back. His features were devastatingly handsome, and his body was slender and well-toned. He was also naked.

Ulrika fell onto her backside in shock, face red. "N-n-naked man! Stranger danger! _I need an adult_!"

He glanced down at her, his dark eyes laughing silently. "If I'm not mistaken, you _are_ an adult."

"Oh, that's right." Ulrika thought hard for a moment, before crying out in exasperation. "_I'm useless as an adult in this situation_!"

"Hey, Goto, what's with all the noise? I'm trying to work on my machine—" The blue-haired teenager wandered into the hall, not at all surprised at the scene before him. He took a moment to analyze it, then let out a huff. "Goto, don't traumatize her. You're so insensitive for someone who claims to be a 'love hunter'."

Ulrika gaped as the boy walked past Goto, offering her a hand. "_Enna_?"


	3. Chapter 3: Clothes for the Unclean

**[A/N: ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ All hail the midriff! ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ Thank you for any reviews! I appreciate it deeply!]**

* * *

Ulrika stared in awe as Enna pulled her up from her heap on the ground. "What're you doin' here, Enna?" No response was given as the teenager quickly released her hand, his gaze averted to the floor. The cogs of her brain slowly turned, and after a moment of hard thinking, they clicked into place. "Wait a damn second, you're not one of Raze's roommates too, are you?"

He laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, kinda. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

She quirked an eyebrow, hands on her hips. "Why're you apologizin'? You got me a job and a home! Gosh, you're so weird."

Enna's eyes snapped up to meet hers, and he incredulously cried, "Who're you calling weird? You're way weirder than me!" A pause, a moment of backtracking, and then another outburst: "Wait—what the hell d'you mean, 'I got you a home'? I thought—"

"Raze said I could bunk here!" Ulrika cut him off with a hearty laugh. "Isn't it great?"

Enna sputtered incoherently for a moment as he tried to cope with her lightheartedness. "B-b-but you know what you're in for right? You'll be living with five strange men! One of whom is a shameless pervert!" He shot a venomous glance to Goto, who had retrieved a robe in the timespan of the conversation in a show of decency.

"Enna, Enna, such slander. Besides, there are only four men, with one boy," Goto reprimanded smoothly.

Red-faced, Enna protested, "Hey, I'm sixteen! I'm not a kid, all right?!"

His angry words fell on deaf ears, as Goto had moved to Ulrika's side in one fluid motion, taking her hand in his. "My dear angel, would you like me to give you a tour of the house?"

She frowned slightly. "I guess so. Where are the other three roommates?"

"Raze is at work. His boss has been giving him a lot of extra hours lately, so you probably won't meet him until the evening," Goto informed, already guiding her towards the other rooms. "Pepperoni and Yun, the other two, are on a booze trip." He chuckled. "We thought we should celebrate our new housemate with champagne."

"Wha—you _knew_ she was gonna live here?!" Enna gaped furiously at the older man.

"Of course. Raze told us last night." He raised an eyebrow and smiled blithely. "You had already gone to work on your machine. When you're a recluse, you miss out on a lot, young man."

"I'm not a recluse," he mumbled, more to himself than the others. Looking up to find Goto and Ulrika gone, he gave a start and ran to catch up.

"This is the living room, my dear." With a sweeping gesture, Goto displayed the room like a smiling game show assistant. The living room was extremely cozy in appearance, with several couches and armchairs dispersed and covered in fuzzy blankets and soft cushions. The inside wall was dominated by a large stone fireplace, which was cold at that moment. Ulrika had no doubt that it would light the room up in an instant, and couldn't wait to see it in use. "We spend a lot of time in here, so you're more than welcome to join us when we do."

A smile crossed Ulrika's lips as she crossed to the fireplace, staring at the mantle. Goto watched her intently, as did Enna, though the latter pretended he couldn't care less. An array of framed pictures lined the shelf. She recognized Enna and Goto in many of them, often accompanied by whom she presumed to be the three other roomies. They looked happy.

They looked like a family.

A bittersweet pang struck her heart as she took in the photos. Family was not something Ulrika knew too well. Her relationship with her mother and father was always strained for some reason or another, leading to Ulrika being kicked out of the house a month ago when several ill-meant words were volleyed between mother and daughter, leaving the immature twenty-year-old to fend for herself. Her best friend, Chloe, on whom Ulrika first sought out, could not take her in, due to the great dislike towards the blonde that Chloe's father inexplicably held.

But these boys, smiling and making faces, they represented something unknown and ultimately desired by her.

Family.

* * *

"…And that's about it for the tour. Your room is at the end of the hall upstairs, on the left. Oh, and Ulrika…" Finishing back in the entrance hall, Goto shot her a sympathetic look. "You might want to wash your clothes. I get the feeling you haven't in a while."

Red struck her cheeks as she looked down at her dirt-stained garments. It was true. After a month of wandering the city, sleeping on park benches, and collecting meager amounts of money doing odd jobs for kindly strangers, she had grown accustomed to the grime accruing on her red shirt and jeans. Her mother hadn't even given her enough time to grab an extra change of clothes before kicking her to the curb…

"Ah, r-right. I guess laundry is my first chore anyway. You guys got a hamper or somethin'?"

"Yeah, at the end of the hall opposite your room. I believe everyone's dirty clothes are in there, but there may be some on the floor of the rooms. Wash room is just behind the hamper." Goto smiled kindly. He had been extremely helpful, while Enna sulked off to the side. Ulrika returned a grin and a thumbs-up.

"Great! I'll get to it, then." Without any further delay, she turned and headed for the hamper. She disappeared upstairs just in time to miss the sound of the front door opening.

"Pepperoni is back! Did ya miss me, Goto?"

Goto turned with a good-natured smile to his best friend, an incredibly tall and muscular man with shaggy brown hair. A green vest adorned his torso, and a matching beanie was pulled low on his head. His grin was immeasurably bright and wide as he strode inside the hall. Lagging behind him was a somewhat shorter, but still tall redhead with shockingly orange skin. A lazy smile was on his face and bags full of booze bottles were in his hands. His midriff was very obviously displayed for all to see beneath his too-small shirt. And it was glorious.

"Aha! But of course, my rival!" Goto met the brunet with a firm handshake. "Tell me, Pepperoni, did you and Yun run into any trouble on your quest?"

Yun gave a small laugh. "Nah. Just a few weird looks. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Pepperoni smirked. "They were too astounded by my cuteness, they were left speechless!"

"I don't doubt that for a second," Goto conceded solemnly. "But if I were there, they would have been knocked out by my shimmering beauty!"

As the trivial competition continued on, Yun handed the lingering Enna the bags. "Put those away for me, will you? I'm gonna go change."

"Okay, okay." Enna grumbled in annoyance and staggered slightly from the weight of the bags. "Ugh, I can't even drink…" He began to move for the kitchen, not paying attention to Yun heading upstairs. Then the realization struck him. "Isn't Ulrika upstairs changing?" Blink, blink. "_CRAP_!" With haste, he strode to the kitchen as fast as he could, set the drinks down, and turned heel as if the devil was on his tail.

* * *

"Hm, hm, hm… Hum, hum, hum…" Ulrika hummed pleasantly to herself as she looked over the pile of clothes. Everything seemed to be there, though it looked like it could take several loads. "Man, this is a lot of laundry… You'd think these guys never do any chores." She checked the door to the hall; the coast seemed clear. Safe inside the small washroom, surely no one would see her…

A groan of relief escaped her lips as she stripped herself of the dirty clothes. "Ah man, that feels so dang good!" Bending to open the washing machine, she failed to notice the door open behind her, until a mumble reached her ears.

"There's got to be some clean clothes in he—oh."

Ulrika twirled around, a mixture of shock and embarrassment strewn across her face. Her startled green eyes met blank orange ones.

Her first impulse was to shriek. Her second was to throw every object within grabbing distance at him. However, all options failed her as her eyes fell to his exposed midriff.

'_Don't stare at his midriff, don't stare at his midriff—goddammit you're staring at his midriff._'

"Uh, hey. Are there any clean clothes in here?"


End file.
